The case of a child's death at Nizhny Novgorod kindergarten No. 439 has gone to court.

      January 13, 2026, 16:45 — Incidents. In Nizhny Novgorod, a court questioned the head of institution Albina Korotkikh and former caregiver Mane Arutyunyan in the case of the death of a three-year-old child at kindergarten No. 439. Both have been charged with providing services that do not meet safety requirements, Kommersant-Privolzhye reports.

      Recall that the tragedy occurred on December 2, 2024. During the morning walk the child was left unattended and became stuck between the rungs of a slide installed on the kindergarten grounds. He could not free himself and died of asphyxiation. The caregiver’s attempts to provide first aid were unsuccessful — the arriving medics only pronounced the death.

      The investigation believes that Mane Arutyunyan violated job duties, displaying negligence in supervising the children. The head, Albina Korotkikh, in turn, was responsible for the acceptance and subsequent oversight of the play complex, which was installed back in 2014 by a company associated with the equipment manufacturer.

      According to the investigation, the slide was assembled with violations: some elements had narrowed gaps, and part of the structure was missing entirely. At the same time, the annual inspections of the complex were carried out formally — by a commission headed by Korotkikh herself, without the participation of specialized experts.

      At the court interrogation, Albina Korotkikh partially admitted her guilt. She stated that after the installation of the play complex it was inspected by representatives of the Ministry of Education and the mayor’s office, and no complaints about the equipment arose at that time. In subsequent years inspections were conducted within the institution, and no signs of malfunction were identified.

      According to Korotkikh, she repeatedly appealed to the city administration to allocate funds to hire technical specialists; however, financing was not provided. At the same time, as the head emphasized, she herself does not have the specialized knowledge to assess the safety of the structures.

      The defendant also noted that the accident could have occurred because of the child’s bulky clothing, which hindered movement. She emphasized that she constantly reminded the caregivers of the need to watch the children closely.

      According to Korotkikh, Arutyunyan had worked at the kindergarten since 2019 and did not stand out either for better or worse. In response to questions from the victims and other participants in the proceedings, the head refused to answer, citing Article 51 of the Constitution.

      Arutyunyan’s lawyers disagree with the charge. In their view, the caregiver’s actions should be classified as causing death by negligence. The defense claims that at the time of the tragedy Arutyunyan was on the playground and was only briefly distracted.

      The parents of the deceased child insist on severe punishment for both defendants. They also intend to seek compensation from the equipment supplier, who, in their opinion, is responsible for the incorrect installation of the complex.

      The hearings in the case will continue with the questioning of employees of the city education department.

      Earlier it was reported that the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, ordered a check of information about unlawful actions against minors in one of the kindergartens in the village of Smolki, Gorodets.

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